USB Signature/Digione Signature Combo

[Boleary3]

I've had a Digione Signature for over a year now and overall I've thought it sounds incredible for the money. However, it always seemed to be slightly lacking in resolution or perhaps it was just a bit of distortion in the high end that seemed to cause it to hit a ceiling, but a very high one. I recently ordered a USB Signature with a case that accommodates the Digione and installed my Digione in it. At first I wasn't going to, thinking I'd use the Digione in my family room entertainment system and keep the USB device in my listening room. That changed shortly after hearing the USB Bridge Signature: with usb that ceiling/distortion or lack of resolution disappeared. I was gobsmacked at the improvement in the sound. I had to find out if the improvement was due to the USB output, as opposed to the SPDIF of the Digione, or was it due to the allo developed "ultra low noise" board that the Pi processor is mounted to in the USB Signature? Well to my ears, in my system, I had never really heard how good the Digione sounded until I installed it in the USB Bridge. All of my complaints with the Digione largely disappeared.

 

At this point I think I find the USB connection to my DAC slightly better than the SPDIF (Digione) but only by a whisker. The USB connection is slightly more airy and open ended, the SPDIF sounds completely contained and finished, without a ceiling.  Really though, the jury is still out.

 

Here's my system: HDPLEX 400 powered (12v tap) 4tb music drive connected to Windows laptop running Audirvana (weirdly the usb cable connecting the drive to the laptop makes a difference as well as the amount of RAM in the laptop), wireless music then transferred to Comcast wifi extender (Very surprised that wireless from laptop sounded better than hard wire), 3' Ghent LAN cable from wifi extender to 5 port Cisco Switch  (SG110D-05) powered by a 12 v linear PS (directly plugging LAN cable from wifi extender to USB Bridge just sounds bad, I also found the CISCO beat the EtheRegen), 4" standard LAN cable to USB Bridge signature powered by 5v HDPLEX tap (This tap, to my ears, sounds better than Shanti 5v 3amp tap, however Shanti 1amp powers the Digione clean input cause it sounds best of all, including batteries), USB or SPDIF from Bridge Signature to Yggdrasil Analogue II DAC, to Pass Labs XA100 monoblocks to Golden Ear Reference Triton speakers. Oh, the OS for the Bridge is Volumio.

 

Of course my conclusions concern my system and my ears, nothing said herein is offered as an absolute truth!

 

Finally one caveat: Allo must find a better way of packaging the USB Bridge Signature. When mine arrived I gently shook the box and it sounded like a baby rattle--not a good sign. I popped the top off and the clips holding the Pi module onto the Allo board were both broken and the module was flopping around inside the case. Because the box (not double boxed) was in perfect shape, I'm pretty sure the unit traveled on some very rough roads at speeds that caused excessive vibration on the way from India to Philly. Allo was pretty good about sending me another unit, minus the OS card, but when the second unit arrived it too had the exact same problem. I am now waiting for them to send me a new PCB so I at least have one board with functional module clips. So how am I listening to these broken units? Nothing a large C clamp and Gorilla glue couldn't solve. I now have two working though jerry rigged units and am waiting for a new pcb.

 

So to Allo let me say your products are fantastic. I'm awaiting delivery today of your Revolution DAC (Can it be as good as a YGGY!) But you will begin to get bad press if you do not package your products so that they arrive without damage. I believe the Pi module clips are a weak point in the Bridge Signature that require extra care for shipping. Please address this as I love the fact that you are building products that cost hundreds and not thousands of dollars and those products sound as good as or better than some of those more expensive products. Your common sense, fairness, engineering and commitment to affordable audio is exemplary. Please spend a couple more bucks (We will pay the added cost!) and package the Bridge better, for your sake.

 

Brian

 

Brian

[Boleary3]

Revolution received in working order: quadruple boxed, seriously, with lots of padding. Sounds good but will likely sound better in a couple weeks.

[Boleary3]

As far as I know you cannot. Volumio sees the allo Signature and the digione as separate devices and you can only select one output device at a time in Volumio. Maybe other OS's have a dual output option?